trbccoffeebreak

“And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He gave us.” 1 John 3:24

“Passive-aggressive.” No one likes this descriptor that points to a person who indirectly resists the requests or demands of others (often through snide remarks) for the purpose of avoiding confrontation. In reading 1 John, however, this term came to mind in a completely spiritually reframed way…actually making this a moniker for the mind-blowing, ungraspable, human-vexing mysteries of salvation and sanctification. Buckle up—and get ready for some serious Bible page turning!

Not to dive into millennia-old theological arguments of election versus free will, but the Bible is pretty clear on the God-given words of its writers—and they denote a mystery too big for our puny minds: God chooses us in His Sovereignty—salvation is a gift of grace (Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:3-6; …and we must choose Him—we have responsibility to believe in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God (John 1:12; John 6:37-44). (But even this faith to believe in Him is a gift from God…I know! It’s beyond our grasp!) My point here? Salvation is “passive-aggressive” reframed! It’s “passive” in that it is a gift of God that He initiates, AND it’s “aggressive” in terms of we must take action to believe and receive.

Then there is our sanctification—our walk with the Lord to become more and more like Jesus until we are fully glorified with Him in heaven. Upon our salvation, we are made new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17), BUT we’re still walking around in our fallen flesh, in a broken world, battling against our mortal enemy, Satan. So, we spend our lives being conformed into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). How do we do that? Again, God’s Word is clear: this, too, is a passive-aggressive process. Beloved, the Lord holds us, so salvation is sure. And we persevere in obedience to the Lord and His Word. We put on the things of Christ and take off the things of this world. We live fruity lives. AND we can only live this way, do these things, and live according to the fruit of the Spirit BECAUSE of the power of Him living in us! Our sanctification journey through the world is God’s doing (“passivity” on our part): Romans 8:29-30; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. AND it is our responsibility to take action (“aggressively” in our dark world!): (Romans 12; Colossians 3:5-17; Ephesians 4; Philippians 3:12-14). The Holy Spirit lives in us at the moment of salvation, so He abides in us permanently (Galatians 2:20)…AND we are called to actively abide in Him (John 15:4).

Beloved, the Christian life is somewhat of a mystery, isn’t it? This passive-aggressive nature of it all. We are saved by grace through faith—it’s a gift. And we must actively accept said gift, this pardon that rescues us from the wrath of God. The Holy Spirit lives in us to empower our new life. And we must yield to Him daily (moment by moment). We can’t understand it all. But we can trust God’s Sovereignty in it!

“Lord, may I simply trust You and obey. And may I recognize that I cannot possibly trust or obey without You and the power of the Holy Spirit living in me.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life